Modestly Beautiful

I have been mulling over this topic for a while now and wasn’t quite sure how I would start it off, I guess the best place to start is just by sharing what is on my heart. I, like most girls have always wanted to be beautiful. There are many times in my life that I have felt far from beautiful and then there have been times where I truly have felt beautiful. I think this is normal, as we all go through seasons in our lives. I grew up in the 90s and 00s where Jennifer Anniston’s stick figure and board straight hair were the very essence of what society called beautiful. It was difficult during that time for a girl with curves and wavy hair. However, I made it through, unscathed for the most part, with a better understanding of how to work with what I had rather than trying to achieve the impossible and all the while trying to accomplish this goal modestly.

A couple of months ago I was at youth on Friday evening (my husband leads youth at our church) when a young girl told me that she aspired to be like me. Whoa. She went on to tell me that I was beautiful and always looked put together (maybe not in these exact words, but it was what she meant). Talk about a humbling experience. Realizing that the choices you make about what you wear and how you act are being watched by these young adults. You see, I have all sons. Truly I could probably walk out of my room wearing a potato sack and they wouldn’t bat an eyelash. What I choose to put on each day is not because I have daughters at home watching what I wear. What I choose to put on each day is a representation of my walk with the Lord, wanting to honor my husband, and wanting to look appropriate for work or church.

This is the goal I hope to accomplish with Lydia & Lilac. Providing a selection of clothing that will make women feel and look beautiful and that will also honor the Lord. When you look through our collection or watch our sneak peeks on YouTube, you will see that we sometimes make suggestions on what to pair a dress with (a cami, a sweater, leggings, etc.). This is because we are sometimes provided clothing by our vendors that may be on the shorter side or low cut. However, most of the time you will find that out clothing is modest and appropriate for work, Church, etc. We desire to honor God through our clothing options, because we live in a society where this is becoming more difficult to find.

We have a responsibility as Christian women to dress in a God honoring way and set a godly example for the young girls in our churches today. When this young lady said this to me, it was a reminder that just because I don’t have daughters, doesn’t mean that there aren’t girls out there watching how I present myself and I can guarantee that they are watching you as well. The truth is they watch more than what’s on the outside, they watch our actions and they hear our words. Are we displaying the beauty of Christ through a gentle and quiet spirit (which does not mean to be a weak woman without a voice…but more on that at another time)? Are we displaying a look that is God honoring? Take some time to reflect on this today and join me in a conscious effort to set forth a godly example for these young girls with our actions, in our words, and in our dress.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 1Peter 3:3-4

Thank you so much for sharing! Yes, it is so difficult to find fashionable and at the same time modest clothes that can be combined with taste and remain respectful towards our bodies and others. I have many friends that will love this so I will share it on Pinterest!

In a world where “skin is in”, it is so important that we don’t get caught up in it. To adopt a modest dress approach is extremely important, especially as an example to our youth. I also think it’s important to show that modesty can still be very stylish and hip and fun! Wouldn’t it be great if our young girls realized that fashion can modest and funky at the same time? Thanks for great inspiration!

Thank you so much for this beautiful post, Michelle! Modesty is very important to me as well! When I was a youth, I didn’t have parents that encouraged modesty. In fact, they teased me for trying to be modest. So, unfortunately, I thought that in order to be accepted, I needed to dress immodestly. I didn’t realize that what they were saying was not true until I was older and the damage to my reputation was already done. Breaks my heart really. I have every intention to teach my daughter and the young women that I influence the exact same thing you have shared. Thank you! Shared on all my social media platforms!

That must have been difficult. I’m so sorry you went through this. What a blessing you are to your daughter and other young women around you. It is amazing the beauty that can come out of the struggles we have gone through and the strength we get from them. Thank you so much for sharing my blog! I really appreciate it!

Thanks so much for reminding me of the importance of how we present ourselves, and the affect we have on the people around us. I’m
So glad that girl felt open enough to compliment you. I wish more people would take the time to do that too. You write beautifully!

Great blog! Im just new here and still discovering things.. keeps on reading other blogs.and it just happen to see yours , it really touches my heart.. i believe its not an accident to be here. Thanks for sharing !
More power and continue to be a blessing to others. 🙂

Welcome angelspassionlife! I’m glad you are here and that you found my blog! I’ve only been blogging since July when I opened my boutique. I love it! The blogging community is so wonderful! I look forward to reading your blog and getting to know you!